Grapevine: Launching ‘Dateline Jerusalem’ from UK to Israel

Late journalist Eric Silver's wife has launched "Dateline Jerusalem" in honor of her husband.

EVERY CLOUD, as we’re told, has a silver lining. When veteran and widely
respected journalist Eric Silver died almost three-and- a-half years ago, his
wife, Bridget, sought to do something to honor and perpetuate his
memory.

The most obvious tribute was to compile an anthology of some of
his writings. She did not realize at the time how onerous a task this would be.
What she thought would take three months took two years.

Although she had
often helped her husband and was familiar with his work, going through reams of
material and deciding what should be included was time consuming, sometimes
painful and an adventure into hi-tech for a woman whose computer skills were
barely basic.

But finally, Dateline Jerusalem, Eric Silver’s last book,
was published.

When Bridget Silver flew to London last month for the
British launch of the book, she had no idea how many people would show
up.

Even though they hadn’t lived in England for years and many of the
relatives and friends were away, some 70 people attended. The same pre-launch
tensions accompanied her before the Jerusalem launch last Friday but she need
not have worried.

The hall at Mishkenot Sha’ananim in Jerusalem was
packed to capacity with people coming from as far afield as England but also
from Herzliya Pituah, Tel Aviv, Modi’in and Mevaseret Zion. Not only did they
come, but they bought so many copies of the book that the supply ran out and
former long-time Government Press Office coordinator Linda Rifkind, who
organized the launch, had to take orders from people eager to include the book
in their private libraries.

Most of those present were either journalists
or British expats or both.

Former GPO director Uri Dromi,
who now heads Mishkenot Sha’ananim, said about the book, “The more you read the
more you cherish his insights.’ Dromi quoted extensively from the book and
marveled at Silver’s extraordinary ability to say a lot in very few words, as
for instance in his description of Yitzhak Rabin – “the least predictable of
peace makers.”

Another example was Silver's analysis of Moshe Dayan: “the
Minister who is always traveling and seldom arrives.”

“Journalism is
supposed to be an ephemeral activity, but what’s interesting is how fresh these
pieces are,” said Don MacIntyre of The Independent ,who wrote to the
introduction to the book. Harriet Sherwood of The Guardian, who did not know
Silver personally, concurred with Mac- Intyre and said that some of the pieces
could have been written today with minor changes.

CHANGING BORDERS
between Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania and Russia often to led to confusion
about place of origin. A popular joke used to be that a person was born in one
of these countries, lived in another and died in a third without ever changing
his address. Thus it is not certain that a number of famous people named by
President Shimon Peres at the State Dinner that he hosted last week for
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych all had Ukraine listed on their birth
certificates, but Peres was keen to emphasize the scientific and cultural bonds
between Ukraine and the Jewish people and so began his address by listing Nobel
Prize laureates Ilya Meznikov (medicine, 1908), Roald Hoffman (chemistry, 1981),
Selman A. Waksman (medicine, 1952), Simon Kuznets (economics, 1971) and Georges
Charpak (physics 1982).

Not only are they all they all Ukrainian, they
are also Jews, said Peres, and a source of pride for Ukraine and for the Jewish
people.

He omitted the fact that all of them were living in either France
or the United States when awarded their prizes, and that their biographies do
not list Ukraine as the place of their births.

Another Ukrainian laureate
is closer to his heart, Peres said naming S.Y. Agnon who in 1966 received the
Nobel Prize for literature and was Israel’s first Nobel laureate.

Agnon
was born in Buczacz, Eastern Galicia, which at the time of his birth was in
Poland, but is now part of Ukraine. Agnon’s granddaughter Yael Blau was at the
dinner as was the grandson (of the same name) of Ze’ev Jabotinsky, the elder of
whom Peres later listed among great scientific and cultural icons of the Jewish
people who came from Ukraine.

Also included in the list were Israel’s
fourth president Ephraim Katzir, Shalom Aleichem and Chaim Nachman Bialik.
Because of changing borders, Peres has been claimed at various times by the
ambassadors of Poland, Lithuania and Belarus as one of their own – and he hasn’t
bothered to correct any of them.

Also at the dinner was one of the
largest-ever representations of the haredi community – from both Ukraine and
Israel. Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky, who was seated close to the head
table between Immigrant Absorption Minister Sofa Landver (who used to teach
Peres Russian) and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, rose to speak to
Yanukovych. Being shorter than average, it was a little difficult for Sharansky
to make eye contact with the towering Yanukovych who is more than two meters
tall and who stood up throughout their conversation.

THERE IS an old
saying in Israel: If people meet twice in a row they tell each other, “Pa’am
shelishit glida” (third time ice cream).

Ice cream was not on the menu
when Romanian Ambassador Edward Iosiper and his wife Tatania hosted the Romanian
National Day reception at their residence in Herzliya Pituah. The national
Romanian dish mamaliga was the highlight of the buffet. Romanian expats who
attended said it was the best mamaliga they had ever eaten.

Representing
the government was Minister for Improvement of Government Services Michael
Eitan, who had also been there the previous year when Romania’s National Day
coincided with Hanukka.

Iosiper, who is Jewish, reminded Eitan of that,
and said he was happy to welcome him to the 93rd anniversary celebration of the
reunification of Romania that had taken place on December 1, 1918. Romania was
the only Soviet Bloc country that did not break off relations with Israel in the
aftermath of the 1967 Six Day War and has had continuous diplomatic ties with
Israel since 1948. Iosiper said that relationship was intensified in July when
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu went to Bucharest and was the first Israeli
prime minister to do so in more than 20 years. He also mentioned the recent
inter-governmental meeting whereby Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc came to
Israel with nine members of the cabinet to reaffirm the commitment of both
countries to each other’s security.

A second such meeting is due to be
held in Bucharest next year. The two countries are at the highest point of
diplomatic dialogue in 63 years of uninterrupted ties, Iosiper said.

One
of the topics of discussion during Boc’s visit was Holocaust education and the
training of Romanian teachers at Yad Vashem.

On the business front,
Iosiper was happy to report that 5,000 Israeli companies are operating in
Romania.

A recent Romanian investment seminar in Tel Aviv generated a lot
of interest, cultural ties have improved and Iosiper suggested that anyone who
has not yet seen the exhibition of Romanian Avant- Garde artists at the Israel
Museum should do so. Eitan mentioned the remarkably large Romanian population in
Israel which acts as a living bridge between the two countries.

MOST
DIPLOMATS and former diplomats are multi-lingual, which adds to their popularity
as public speakers. Former Israel ambassador to Egypt Zvi Mazel, widely regarded
as Israel's leading expert on political developments in Egypt, is in high demand
as a lecturer, commentator and writer both in Hebrew and English.

Among
the other languages that he speaks fluently is French, and thus together with
former ambassador to France Yehuda Lancry, research director of the Jewish
People Policy Institute Dov Maimon and sociologue Claude Sitbon, Mazel was
invited by the French Institute, which is an organ of the French Embassy, to
participate in this week’s panel discussion in French on the Arab Spring. Mazel
is also a former ambassador to Romania and was at the Romanian National Day
reception, having just returned from two days of lecturing on the Arab Spring –
this time in English. Yosef Govrin, another former ambassador to Romania, and
Meir Rosenne, who served as ambassador to the US and France but who happens to
be of Romanian birth, were also at the Romanian reception.

SELDOM SEEN on
the diplomatic circuit due to sensitivities related to China, Taiwan's Economic
and Cultural representative Liang-Jen Chang was among the guests at the
reception in honor of the 84th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and
Thailand’s National Day hosted by Ambassador Nattavudh Photisaro and his wife,
Waraluck, at the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv. Although he is an ambassador in his own
right, Liang-Jen Chang seldom uses his title in Israel because Israel and Taiwan
do not have full diplomatic relations. Photisaro as it happens, is fluent in
Mandarin and that is the language in which the two diplomats
converse.

Thai events are always very decorative and this one was no
exception.

There were masses of flowers on the staircase leading to the
reception room and on the dais a huge portrait of the king was surrounded by
floral arrangements. All the Thai women at the event were exquisitely gowned.
Photisaro noted that the king, who celebrated his 60th anniversary on the throne
is 2006, is the world's longest-reigning monarch. His Majesty, who has been in
ill health for some time, has undergone treatment and his health is much
improved, Photisaro was pleased to report.. But even when he was sick, said the
ambassador, the king, who is greatly loved by his people, continued to work
toward improving their quality of life, especially in rural regions.

His
Majesty is also a great friend and admirer of Israel, said Photisaro, noting
that in 1977 the king sent two Thai princesses to Kibbutz Kfar Blum to spend
time there, and since then there has been a bond. In fact, when Princess
Chulabhorn was in Israel last May on her sixth visit to the country, she told
President Peres that she felt half-Israeli and that the Hebrew name that had
been given her at Kfar Blum was Shira.

Photisaro thanked Israel for being
among the first to come to Thailand and provide assistance after his country
suffered the worst flood damage in its history. As far as tourism goes, he
noted, Thailand continues to be one of the most popular destinations for
Israelis and over the past year 200,000 Israelis visited there thanks to Israeli
tourist agents and tourist writers. Trade relations between Israel and Thailand
are excellent, he reported, but may become even better with the anticipated
signing of a trade agreement between the two countries.

There are
currently more than 23,000 Thai workers helping Israeli farmers in kibbutzim and
moshavim, he said. Science and Technology Minister Daniel Hershkowitz, who was
there representing the government, said that ten years ago he had been among the
many Israeli tourists who had flocked to Thailand and that in addition to its
wonderful landscapes he had been charmed by the warmth and hospitality of the
Thai people. Hershkowitz said the Israelis who had gone to help the Thais had
been impressed by the remarkable way in which they worked to overcome their
crisis. In addition he spoke of Israel’s admiration for the king and for what he
has done for his land and his nation.

JAPANESE AMBASSADOR designate Hideo
Sato has not yet presented his credentials, but won't have to work nearly as
hard as other heads of mission to get out a few words of Hebrew at events he may
be hosting.

He speaks Hebrew fluently and almost without an accent. How
come? This is actually his fourth stint in Israel. He first came in 1977 as a
student, then after a few years began working for Japan’s Ministry for Foreign
Affairs, which sent him here as a second secretary. He rose in the ranks and his
last position in Israel was as counselor. Now that he’s in the top job, Sato is
familiar with the region. He has also served as Japan’s ambassador to
Afghanistan and most recently as ambassador to Bahrain.

ASIDE FROM the
Nobel Prize, which will be officially awarded this month to Prof. Dan
Schechtman, countries other than those in Scandinavia are honoring Israelis in
recognition of their achievements.

Last week at a ceremony at his
residence in Jaffa, French Ambassador Christophe Bigot honored poet, author and
journalist Haim Guri and filmmaker and television producer Mush Danon, who is
chairman of the Israel Association of Film Producers, with the title Knight of
the Order of Arts and Letters. Guri studied philosophy at the Sorbonne and
several of his books have been translated into French.

Bigot noted that
Guri, who is 88, has lived through the entire modern history of Israel from
Mandate times through the creation of the State and all its wars and that he had
been a member of the Palmach and was also engaged in bringing Holocaust
survivors from Europe prior to the creation of the state. Guri is known for
having written the lyrics for Shir Hareuth (the song of camaraderie), which was
known as Yitzhak Rabin's favorite song. Toward the end of the evening, guests
who were gathered at the Ambassador’s residence sang it in honor of
Guri.

THIS WEEK Polish born Holocaust survivor Dr. Yaacov Cohen, 81,
became the first Israeli scholar to receive the Korean President’s Order of
Civil Merit (Mogryeon Medal: Order of Magnolia), which is the most prestigious
award that the Republic of Korea confers on academics and people of
culture.

Cohen, whose parents were murdered by the Nazis, came as a 17-
year-old to fight in the War of Independence.

He subsequently studied at
the IDF Officers’ School, completed his high school studies at night, gained a
BA degree from the Hebrew University and joined the Foreign Ministry where his
commitment to his work and his diplomatic talents earned him many overseas
assignments.

Among the positions he held were deputy head of the Israeli
Mission to the European Community in Brussels, head of the Israeli Legation in
Ankara and ambassador to Venezuela, Japan, South Korea and Spain. He submitted
his credentials to King Juan Carlos of Spain in March, 1992, exactly 500 years
to the month after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. He retired from the
Foreign Ministry after 34 years of devoted service and was invited by the Hebrew
University, which frequently calls on diplomats to share their knowledge and
experience, to lecture on Korea to the university’s Department of East Asian
Studies. Since then he has spent 22 years researching and teaching generations
of students about the culture and politics of the Republic of Korea. He is such
a beloved and dedicated teacher that despite his age, the university will not
let him go.

At the conferment ceremony at the Maiersdorf Faculty Club on
Mount Scopus, his colleagues noted that although the honor bestowed on him by
Korean President Lee Myung-Bak was his alone, it nonetheless reflected on the
university.

Moreover, Prof. Yuri Pines who also teaches in the Department
of East Asian Studies recalled that when Cohen first came to the department, it
was at a time when some people were questioning the validity of Chinese and
Japanese studies. But Cohen doggedly negotiated with the Korean Foundation and
established the program, which is becoming increasingly important.

He
continues to teach, said Pines, and students are excited to attend his classes.
The award, said Pines, was confirmation of Cohen's dedication.

Similar
comments about Cohen's dedication and commitment were made by HU rector Prof.
Sarah Stroumsa, dean of the Faculty of Humanities Prof. Reuven Amitai, who has
twice been to Korea and spoke of the importance of intensifying academic ties,
Dr. Lihi Yariv- Laor, head of the Department of East Asian Studies, who noted
that Cohen’s distinction is not only academic but national, and Ruth Kahanoff ,
Foreign Ministry deputy-director general for Asia and the Pacific, who is
herself a graduate of HU’s Department of East Asian studies and expressed regret
that the Korean program had not been available during her period as a student.
However, as a young diplomat she had worked with Cohen in the Foreign Ministry
and recalled that when then Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir had been looking for
suitable candidates to send to Korea and Japan, he had chosen Cohen because he
said at the time that he needed a bulldozer and Cohen fitted the
bill.

President Peres sent a letter of congratulations in which he
expressed Israel’s appreciation for all that Cohen has done to promote
Israel-Korea relations.

Ambassador Il Soo Kim, speaking of Cohen not only
as an academic but also a diplomat, said “he is a role model to emulate.” He
praised Cohen for what he has done toward enabling understanding of Korea and
the Koreans in Israel.

Among those attending the ceremony were several of
Cohen’s former colleagues from the Foreign Ministry, some of his students,
members of the Korean community in Israel, including two groups of musicians who
performed Korean songs and music and a representative group of the Israel Border
Guard headed by Maj.-Gen. Yossi Pooni. Some people might have wondered what they
were doing there but Cohen explained that the Jerusalem branch of the Border
Guard had adopted Holocaust survivors, accompanying them in their day-to-day
activities and inviting them to their events.

Pooni also made a
presentation to Cohen, who said that generally when one speaks of Holocaust
survivors in Israel it is of the needy and the fact that they are not receiving
what is due to them. But there are also Holocaust survivors like Cohen, he said,
who lived according to the motto: Ask not what your country can do for you but
what you can do for your country. Their contribution to Israel's development is
frequently overlooked.

Sites Of Interest

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